First Time
by E. Limberg
Summary: Mac/Stella. Danny, Lindsay, and Flack come up with a plan to get Mac and Stella to admit that they love each other. Will it work or will it just make the two detectives angry at each other? Uses song by Lifehouse.


**First Time**

"_We're both looking for something_

_We've been afraid to find_

_It's easier to be broken_

_It's easier to hide"_

Lindsay is seated at the table in the break room when Danny and Don enter. She is watching Mac and Stella work together in the layout room. "Do you ever wonder why they don't see it?"

"We're all out of ideas, Lindsay. And after locking them in the closet last month, I got dumpster duty for three months."

"You should've asked me for help; I've got a few ideas," she turns away from them. "But if you're giving up… I guess they'll just have to live without happiness."

Flack sighs, "Are they good? 'Cause pretty soon they're going to get upset if we keep locking them up in different places around the lab."

"You picked Mac up on the way to the scene this morning, right?"

Flack nods, "So?"

"We have to make sure Stella takes him home. And I need some help switching my car keys with Stella's."

"What good's that going to do?" Danny frowns.

"We both have the same department issued SUV. She won't know the keys don't work if we leave at the same time. I've got my spare key with me, and by the time she realizes the key doesn't fit in the ignition, I'll have locked the doors to her car and left. They'll be locked in the car over night."

"You think they'd actually do it in the back of her car which is sitting in the lab parking garage?" Danny looks at her skeptically.

"It's November. They have to keep warm somehow."

"What if they get sick because of the cold? You guys will have lots of work to do with both of them out," Don points out. "And what if someone else finds them? Like Sinclair?"

"Are you two really going to chicken out?"

The two men look at each other, then at their oblivious bosses through the glass walls. "We're in. But if they asks, it's you idea, Montana."

"Fine. When they want to know whose idea it was so they can thank him or her for locking them up, I'll take all the credit."

"_Looking at you,_

_Holding my breath_

_For once in my life_

_I'm scared to death_

_I'm taking a chance_

_Letting you inside"_

"Are you leaving soon?" Lindsay asks Stella in the locker room.

"Yeah, if I can get Mac to leave."

"You might be here a while then," she laughs.

At that moment, the door opens, and their boss walks in. "Lindsay, what are you still doing here?"

"Oh, just finishing something up."

"Been here too long? You're starting to get our bad habits," he smiles, putting his coat on.

She watches nervously as Stella pulls her keys out. When the older detective doesn't say anything, she pulls her own out. "You guys ready?"

They nod and head toward the elevators. Feeling guilty suddenly, Lindsay remains quite on the ride down.

Mac turns to Stella, "Since you're driving me home, can I offer you dinner?"

"It's after nine, Mac," she says, glancing at her watch. They step out of the elevator, and she shivers in the cold air.

"So? You probably haven't eaten since this morning."

_Oh, great. Not only are they going to freeze, they're going to starve, _Lindsay thinks to herself.

"Are you cooking or are we stopping?" she glances at him.

"Stopping. You can choose where."

"I'm the one driving so _you_ don't really have a choice." Stella hits the unlock button on the remote to her car, and Lindsay quickly does so as well so they don't notice that the wrong car unlocked.

"See you tomorrow morning, Lindsay," Mac tells her, opening the car door.

"Stay warm," Lindsay says before quickly getting in her car and backing up. Seeing that both detectives are now inside, she hits the lock button on Stella's remote before pulling out of the garage.

Inside the car, Mac looks at Stella as she attempts to get the key in the ignition. "Are you sure you have the right one?"

"Yes, it's the only car key on here."

"There are two cars like this in the department; maybe you and Lindsay mixed up your keys," he looks out the window to see if Lindsay is having problems too. She is already backed out.

"These are my keys, Mac."

The locks lock, and they look at each other.

"_I'm feeling alive all over again_

_As deep as the sky that's under my skin_

_Like being in love, she says, for the first time_

_Maybe I'm wrong_

_I'm feeling right where I belong with you tonight_

_Like being in love to feel for the first time"_

Mac cautiously turns around to make sure there is no one in the back seats about to kill them. It is empty.

Stella hits the unlock button on the remote; nothing happens. Again she tries to put the key in and start the car. The key refuses to enter the ignition, being the wrong shape.

"Stel, I think we have the wrong key. I'll run up and grab the department set to your car," he tries to open his door, and the alarm goes off. A few minutes pass, silence between the two detectives, before the alarm shuts itself off.

She tries to unlock the door by using the manual unlock button on her door with the same deafening result. Once it stops again, she asks, "Now what do we do?"

"Ever stolen a car?"

"No."

"Me either."

"If we set the alarm off enough, someone has to come to see what's going on."

"We could call one of the guys for help."

"And risk being teased for months to come?" she frowns at him and shivers.

"I don't get it. If we have Lindsay's keys, how did she leave?"

"She must have used her second set. Which doesn't make sense; she would have had to have tried the first set, my key, to know they didn't work. Unless she knew they were mine…"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mac puts his head back against the seat and looks at her.

She sighs, "They did this on purpose. But why?"

"_The world that I see inside you_

_Waiting to come to life_

_Waking me up to dreaming_

_Reality in your eyes"_

He shrugs, "Why did they lock us in the closet last month?"

"Now we really can't call them."

"Is there something we need to talk about?"

She shakes her head, "Not that I can think of. Why?"

"Normally they force us together like this when we're fighting and refuse to speak. But we're not fighting so… maybe they're trying to prevent a fight."

"I don't know how they'd be able to predict when we're going to fight."

"Well, there must be something we need to discuss."

Stella shivers and looks out the windshield. "Actually… there is something. And some of them do know about it and know you won't be happy when you find out. How locking us in a car together is going to help, I don't know. You're probably end up killing me."

"What is it?" he looks at her, concerned. Whatever it is, he promises to himself to help her, not matter how much trouble she has gotten herself into.

"You know how you told me to… stop trying to catch Diakos and let the major case guys handle it?"

"Stella…" he rubs his face, not sure what to do with her. "You do know I can fire you, right?"

She nods slowly.

"Do you have anything new to show for your… stubbornness?"

"Actually, we might have a lead."

"We? Who else have you dragged into this mess?"

"Danny. And Angell. But only because I asked them to. Don't punish them, Mac."

"Okay, when we get out of here tomorrow, I want you to go tell the major case squad what you're doing. Whether they choose to use your information and continue your… plan is up to them. Then we will both go talk to Sinclair because as much as I love you, I don't know what to do about this."

"_Looking at you_

_Holding my breath_

_For once in my life_

_I'm scared to death_

_I'm taking a chance_

_Letting you inside"_

"Did you just say…?" she can't bring herself to say it.

He sighs, "I… maybe…"

"Do you mean it?"

"It just came out," he says, not really answering her question. He looks down at his hands and refuses to make eye contact with her.

She sits there in silence until someone walks by outside the garage. She punches the steering wheel, making the horn beep, startling the pedestrian, and swears in Greek.

Mac looks over at her, surprised at her outburst. "What?"

"I'm stuck in this damn car with you because they thought it'd be funny to lock us in here for their own entertainment. I just told you what I've been hiding from you for the past month, which is probably going to get me fired, and all you can say is you don't know how to deal with me. You said you love me, but now you're going to close off and not tell me if it's true. And on top of all that, I'm freezing and hungry."

"It's not my fault we're stuck in here. And if you get fired, it's your own fault; I told you to stop looking for him. And, no, I don't know how to deal with you. I don't want to be mad at you; I do love you, but sometimes it feels impossible to. You can be so frustrating at times."

Aggravated, Stella climbs over the seats to the trunk of her car. A tear falls down her cheek. She keeps telling herself to stay strong and not cry, but she can't. His words stung her. He was her best friend; how could he talk to her like that? Finally, she gives in, silently letting all her tears out so he won't see her weakness.

"_I'm feeling alive all over again_

_As deep as the sky that's under my skin_

_Like being in love, she says, for the first time_

_Maybe I'm wrong_

_I'm feeling right where I belong with you tonight_

_Like being in love to feel for the first time"_

Mac checks his watch: eleven. She had been back there for an hour, and he hadn't heard any signs of life from her in a while. He sighs for the millionth time and climbs into the back seat to check on her, unsure of how to make things right between them.

He finds her leaning against the back seat of the car, curled up for warmth. "Stella?" he says quietly, not sure if she is sleeping.

She jolts awake and looks up at him. "What time is it?"

"Eleven," he climbs back into the trunk with her. Feeling something soft under the seat, he pulls it out. It is a blanket, one he had seen her put down to protect the seats when they had a large, messy piece of evidence to transport. Gently he unfolds it and wraps it around her. Then he sits beside her, trying to figure out where to begin.

"There's another one under the other seat," she mumbles, sniffling.

He takes this one out too and puts it around her. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have put you in this position."

"You're not impossible, Stel; just difficult. But I guess I give you just as many problems," he wraps his arm around her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how to deal with you because I'm not just your boss. You're my friend, and I realize now that I've… fallen in love with you."

"Good." He frowns at her questioningly. This isn't good; it would probably create more problems in their relationship. "Because I love you too."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I've loved you since I met you."

"Is this what you want though?"

Stella picks her head up and looks at him. "Yes," she kisses the corner of his mouth.

"_We're crashing_

_Into the unknown_

_We're lost in this_

_But it feels like home"_

"This isn't a very comfortable way to sleep," Stella complains. "I can't believe they did this. Can I use them for target practice?" she looks at him hopefully.

"No," he rolls her eyes at her. "But we will find some way to get back at them."

"Maybe they wanted us to admit that we love each other." Mac looks at her. "You can't tell me you don't hear all those rumors that go around about us."

He kneels, facing the seats, and folds them over as far as they go so that they have enough room to lie down. "We might as well make the most of this situation."

She frowns at him, "You're not serious, are you?" She unconsciously wraps the blankets tighter around her.

He holds a hand out to her, and she doesn't move. "What's wrong?"

"We've been dating for… fifteen minutes and you want to… you know… in the back of my SUV because we've stuck inside it?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that," he realizes his poor choice in words. "I meant we might as well lie down and get comfortable since we obviously aren't going to get out of here for a few hours."

"Oh, in that case…" she takes his hand and stands as best she can in the car. "Maybe we should put a blanket down."

They spread a blanket out in the back of the SUV, and he lies down on it. She sits down next to him and puts the blanket over them before lying all the way down. She lays on her side beside him, her head on his chest. He puts his arm around her. "Sure you'll be warm enough?"

"No, but that's what you're for."

He smiles. "You know… as many times as I've pictured telling you that I love you, it's never been anything like this."

She laughs, "Please tell it's more romantic than this."

"It is."

"I can't say I've ever pictured us sleeping together in the back of the car because we're locked in it either."

"_I'm feeling alive all over again_

_As deep as the sky that's under my skin_

_Like being in love, she says, for the first time_

_Maybe I'm wrong_

_I'm feeling right where I belong with you tonight_

_Like being in love to feel for the first time"_

Danny and Flack are standing outside the SUV when Lindsay arrives the next morning. "Where are they?" she frowns, not seeing them in the front.

"We can't see in the back. Stupid tinted windows," Don curses.

"Open the trunk," Danny tells her.

Many lab techs have crowded around to see what the excitement is. Lindsay pulls Stella's keys out and hits the trunk button. The trunk pops open, and Danny pulls it open.

Stella is curled up at Mac's side, head on his shoulder. Both are still asleep, unaware of all of the pictures being taken by cell phone.

Hawkes comes up behind them, "What are you guys up to?" When he sees Mac and Stella, he frowns. "Did you guys do this to them?"

Mac starts to move and slowly opens his eyes. He jumps when his eyes finally adjust; there were many people watching him. "Get to work," he orders, and they all quickly head towards the door. "Except you four," he points to the members of his team who were trying to sneak away.

He looks down beside him; Stella is still asleep. He gently shakes her arm to wake her. "Stel, time to wake up."

She mumbles something to herself and rolls over, her eyes gradually opening. When she sees the open door, she looks at him. "How'd you open it?"

"They did," he gestures to the team.

"Oh. What did they see?"

He shrugs and turns away from her to address the others. "What were you thinking?"

No one answers.

"Why on earth would you lock us in here?"

"We wanted you and Stella to realize… that you love each other," Lindsay says timidly.

"You guys need to stop this. Stella and I don't love each other. I could fire you all for this," Mac yells.

"Hawkes had nothing to do with it," Danny says quietly.

"Sheldon, you can leave then," he waits until Hawkes has gone. "I want all those pictures gone. If I see a single one, you guys are fired."

"What pictures?" Stella looks at him worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, Stel."

"Mac, the whole thing was my idea," Lindsay admits. "I'm sorry."

"Go inside and get to work," he orders. The three quickly walk away.

Stella leans against him, "What are we going to do?"

"I suggest we go inside and take a shower and change our clothes. Then I'd like to take you out for breakfast."

"Good. I'm starving." She heads toward the door into the lab. Almost there, she turns around, not hearing him behind her. "Coming?"

"Yeah," he gets out of the car and follows her.

"What were you thinking about?"

"How lucky I am to have you. Being with you makes me feel like the first time I fell in love."

"_Like being in love, she says, for the first time_

_Like being in love to feel for the first time"_

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. This is actually the most recent story I've written. I think I did this instead of studying for exams last week. Anyway, I've got two more done: a cute little one chapter story involving a furry friend and I think an eight chapter one involving Ella and Diakos; actually, they just talk about him. And someone gets injured. I've had the idea for it since the end of the last season of Bones and finally got it to fit with what was going on on the show. So... if you watch Bones, you might know what's going to happen. That will probably be the one I post next. Then I still have a whole bunch of songs I want to use. I might start another story today... we had a snow day. It's been snowing since last night. Which just means I have one less day to decide what to take next year. I'm set on band, AP Statistics, I think AP English, and Anatomy. And I need government but I don't know whether I should take AP or not. And economy, but I'm not sure I have to take that if I take AP or whether that's just for the people that took AP this year because it was just changed. And I really don't know about AP Physics. Most of the people in my calc class are in it because they're mainly seniors and are having a hard time with it. I don't have the guy who teaches it; everyone who has him for regular physics says he doesn't teach things well and does it in a confusing way. So... my mom says I need a study hall so if I take both economics and AP physics, I'll have half a year. The only thing I'm afraid of is that I'll have it like first or second period, which is like completely useless. I don't know if I really want to take four AP classes and Anatomy, which I don't know that it's difficult, it's just a lot of memorization and homework. Anyway... please review. Thanks for reading.**


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